Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed delivering his speech during the opening of the Lotus 4S Centre, Beijing.
PETALING JAYA: Lotus, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Proton Holdings Berhad (Proton), opened its first 4S Centre in Beijing, China in an event officiated by Proton advisor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Also present were Tan Sri Datuk Seri Haji Mohd Khamil Jamil, the executive chairman of Proton and chairman of Group Lotus, as well as Aslam Farikullah, chief officer of Group Lotus.

According to Aslam, China has been at the forefront of global economic development and consequently there has been a growing trend of international car brands taking an interest in China by opening factories and dealerships, “China’s growth has not only opened the eyes of the international business community, but it has also inspired us to open this new Lotus 4S Centre.”

The Centre sits on a foot-print of approximately 1,000 sq m over four floors at the Golden Port Motor Park in Beijing.

The Centre is set to offer a complete Lotus experience with a showroom and a comprehensive service centre, where owners will be able to service, and obtain spare parts for their Lotus cars.

The one stop centre also houses an administrative office, merchandise retail corner, customers lounge and a training centre.

The building also comes with a complete customer service experience as it houses a club house for Lotus owners with a member’s lounge, and other amenities.

Lotus currently has eight dealerships in China, including in major parts of the country like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Dalian among others. Lotus models that are currently made available to the China market are the Evora S IPS, the Exige S240 and S260 as well as the Elise CR.

Khamil (left), chairman of DRB-HICOM presenting a gift to Mahathir.